Stuart Hogg to captain Lions in tour opener

Stuart Hogg will lead the British & Irish Lions in their first match of the tour of South Africa, as they...

England U20 name team out to deny Irish the Triple Crown

England U20 head coach Alan Dickens has made four changes to the starting line-up that will face Ireland on Thursday. For...

Wasps sign All Black back-five forward Vaea Fifita

Wasps have announced the signing of All Blacks back-five forward Vaea Fifita, who will join the club for the 2021-22 season....

Leigh Halfpenny to reach 100 Test caps against Canada

Leigh Halfpenny will make his 100th test appearance when Wales host Canada at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, Head coach Wayne...

RFU approves 14-team Premiership expansion and voids relegation for further two seasons

Relegation from the Premiership has been suspended for two further seasons after the RFU, in collaboration with Premiership Rugby, approved plans...

Nizaam Carr cuts short Bulls deal to sign for Wasps

Wasps have signed Nizaam Carr for a third time in a move designed to ease the loss of Jack Willis to...

Why do Gambling Companies Sponsor Rugby Teams?

The world of games and sports has long been in a close-quarters relationship. So much due to the fact they both...

Will Skelton will end his career in France

WILL Skelton has closed the door on a return to the Premiership after signing a four-year contract extension with La Rochelle....

Oyonnax coaching job for Alex Codling

ALEX Codling is set to return to the game with a move across the Channel in time for next season. The...

Bok star Marcel agrees a deal with the Exiles

ON THE BILND SIDE BY NEIL FISSLER Free agent: Marcel van der Merwe playing for Toulon LONDON Irish have agreed a...

Dorian West could leave as Sale Sharks plan changes

SALE Sharks boss Alex Sanderson is looking to re-shuffle his coaching staff this summer, and whispers are that Dorian West could...

Harlequins will name Tabai Matson as new head coach this week

BILLY Millard says Harlequins will unveil their new coaching setup later this week, with former London Irish and Fiji centre Tabai...

MARTIN GILLINGHAM

ROOM 101 THE EXPERIENCED RUGBY COMMENTATOR TAKES US THROUGH HIS PET HATES FORM THE RUGBY WORLD AND BEYOND 1. Ref abusers...

DREAM TEAM

RUSSELL EARNSHAW, THE MAGIC ACADEMY COACH AND FORMER ENG- LAND 7S, BATH, WEST HARTLEPOOL, ROTHERHAM, DONCASTER & PERTEMPS BEES FLANKER, CHOOSES...

No doubt Sarries will get some abuse next season | Colin Boag

The totally unsurprising news that Saracens slaughtered Ealing Trailfinders in the two-leg Championship final doesn’t seem to have provoked the strong...

Cameras don’t lie on forward passes

QUESTION: When is a forward pass not a forward pass? Answer: Almost never, it seems. How many times this season have...

Where’s the justice?

CAN someone tell me how Manu Tuallagi got only ten minutes in the bin and no post match citing for poleaxing...

Wrong for table toppers to wind up with nothing

WE’RE at the end of the rugby season and once again, the complete travesty of justice that is the Premiership playoffs...

Bok stars will inject new life into PRO14

WITH the final game of the Rainbow Cup over and Benetton seizing the trophy, it’ fair to say the tourniment and...

Grounds will be used to ring-fence

A DAMAGING and potentially divisive suspension of promotion-relegation in the English league structure for up to three or four seasons is...

High ball doubt may cost Stuart Hogg Lions slot | Nick Cain

STUART Hogg’s high points this season in leading Scotland to away victories over France and England in the Six Nations, as...

Verdict: Quins have taught Eddie Jones a lesson in how to attack

SO a season that started with Eddie Jones arguing it was almost impossible to play attractive attacking rugby under the current...

Exeter 38-40 Harlequins: Underdogs? Quins roar like big dogs in a classic

WHEN it comes to long runs from the back there is nothing in the annals of English club rugby to match...

Hawkins aims to be like Sonny Bill

TEENAGE Ospreys centre Joe Hawkins is modelling his game on Sonny Bill Williams and Jonathan Davies as he looks to make...

Basham can be best No.7 of lot says his ex-coach Jackman

By STEFFAN THOMAS Fan: Bernard Jackman BERNARD Jackman has tipped Taine Basham to become Wales’ first choice openside by the 2023...

Bryce Hegarty tipped to be a star for Tigers

QUEENSLAND Reds attack coach Jim McKay says Bryce Hegarty’s signing for Leicester is a “win-win” for the player and the club....

Double delight for pragmatic Toulouse | James Harrington

  Toulouse were crowned champions of France for the 21st time on Friday night, some 13 months after the players had...

Dream stay at Pirates delivered big break

MY LIFEIN RUGBY BRISTOL BEARS WOMEN’S HEAD COACH AND FORMER BATH, NORTHAMPTON, SALE, CORNISH PIRATES, HARLEQUINS AND AMPTHILL HOOKER/FLANKER DAVE WARD...

Carmichael calls time

SCOTLAND and Edinburgh second row Lewis Carmichael has retired from playing aged 26 after “a number of concussions over a short...

Vegas date for Ireland

IRELAND will take on the US Eagles at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 30. The fixture is...

Youngs set for ref duty

TOM Youngs has accepted a charge of disrespecting a match official during Leicester’s game with Bristol. The 34-year-old hooker has been...

Falcons go for Dalton

NEWCASTLE have signed former Ulster forward Matthew Dalton on a twoyear deal. The 22-year-old former Ireland U20 international made ten PRO14...

Tiger White joins Exiles

LONDON Irish have signed former Leicester scrum-half Ben White. The 23-year-old left Tigers earlier this month having been around the first...

Garvey to Worcester

RUGBY SHORTS WORCESTER have signed experienced forward Matt Garvey. The 33-year-old is the club’s 13th signing and joins from Gloucester, where...

Crowds or not, I just focussed on the opposition | Jeff Probyn

I WAS a little puzzled when I read Danny Care and Rob Baxter’s reaction to fans being allowed back into the...

South Africa are perfect fit for the Six Nations | Jeff Probyn

With more South African teams joining the PRO14 to make it a 16-team Rainbow Cup competition, it can only be a...

Brecon was a nursery for pioneering Welsh Lions

Brendan Gallagher continues his series looking at rugby’s great schools CHRIST College Brecon was one of the cradles of Welsh rugby,...

Deep diving podcast into ‘97 Lions is a must-hear

RUGBY MATTERS BRENDAN GALLAGHER SUDDENLY our cup over-runneth with Lions previews not to mention retrospectives, podcasts, books and specials dealing with...

Irish lively lads can strike gold in Tokyo

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER IFI was a betting man, and thank the...

Little Otley is a jewel in crown of the World Cup

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful Iconic Rugby...

New dad Robshaw set for shoulder surgery

By SAM JACKSON CHRIS Robshaw’s American adventure is turning into an injury nightmare. The former England and Quins captain, 35, who...

Stokes agrees extension at Irish

LONDON Irish full-back James Stokes has signed a contract extension with the Brentford-based club. The 29-year-old, who has also played on...

Banahan aiming for new life as a golf pro

By JON NEWCOMBE HAVING played in his first professional golf tournament, recently retired rugby star Matt Banahan admits turning from lock...

English whitewash as Wales take on the All Blacks | Peter Jackson

UNTIL yesterday, the Lions had not started a Test match without an Englishman since the end of their first tour after...

Ollie’s Lions record falls at Murrayfield after 16 years

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW For more than 16 years, Ollie Smith of Leicester and England held a...

LIZA BURGESS

WOMEN’S GAME IN FOCUS WORCESTER COACH Sarah Rendell takes a weekly look at some important women players THIS WEEK... Newly-appointed Worcester...

Ireland Sevens book ticket to Tokyo

IRELAND won the men’s Olympic Repechage tournament in Monaco, while France and Russia were victorious in the women’s qualifier finals last...

Adam Hastings aims to provide spark at Gloucester

  For the second time as a rugby player Adam Hastings will be uprooting his life to move south of the...

ARTHURRELTON

YOUNG GUNS EXETER CHIEFS WINGER Two tries in two matches for Arthur Relton have given the fleet-footed winger the perfect start...

Crisis time for Boks as their lock stocks dip | Chris Hewett

PITY the poor Springboks. Three years after arming themselves with the most potent quartet of second row forwards ever seen at...